War on Terror

07.11.12

Al Qaeda Operative Sent Back to Sudan

AP Photo; Getty Images

Convicted al Qaeda operative Ibrahim al Qosi has been released from Guantánamo after spending 10 years in the prison. Qosi, who occasionally drove for Osama bin Laden, was captured by Pakistani forces in December 2001 and sent to the prison after being handed over to U.S. forces. In July 2010 he pleaded guilty to providing material support for terrorism in exchange for a potential release after serving a two-year prison term. U.S. troops dropped the newly released Qosi in his home country of Sudan Tuesday night. He is the first convicted war criminal to be sent home since 2008. One of his defense attorneys said, “He is now in his 50s, eager only to spend his life at home with his family in Sudan.”